Going On The Hard

09 November 2008 | Ft. Pierce (I'm presently in Oriental)

Nice but cold

It's 48 degrees here in Oriental. Supposed to get down to 40 tonight. Fortunately the Rebounder has a great propane ducted heating system so we are nice and cozy. It's surrealistic to be back on the motor home, yet it feels almost like being back at home. It's been a decent couple of days since putting the boat on the hard. As usual it was a lot of work getting the boat ready to store. They did a great job spraying and scraping the growth off the hull. That cheap West Marine bottom paint did just fine for the 4 months I was in the water. My main zink wore completely off. Still need to check the engine zink - I bet its gone too. No blisters that I could see. I could be cruising again on Tropical Dreamer in less than a week when and if that happens. I went as far in 13 total hours of driving as I went in a month or two cruising down the ICW. Different trip altogether on the way back. Stayed at a hotel with the dogs last night. Tried to listen to the radio while driving north but most everything sucked. Rental car broke down on me 92 miles from Oriental and I had to get a tow to the New Bern airport to get a replacement and then unload and re-load all my stuff into the new car. Jake and Anne had to stay in the old rental for over on hour during the tow while I had to stay in the cab with the chatty driver. We all did fine. After what we've been through, we can handle most anything at this point. More unpacking to do tomorrow morning, then off to return the rental car to New Bern. I'm planning on departing Oriental the next day, but you know how Oriental can be when it comes to departures. I'd like to find someplace to get the oil changed on the Rebounder before I drive it another 2500 miles but Oriental probably isn't the place for that. I'll ask around. I managed to obtain a ride back from New Bern tomorrow so I won't have to take an expensive taxi. I have to say it's mighty nice to be on dry land for a change. Less exciting... less damp too. I imagined the motor home to be much roomier than than the Catalina 36, but it's really not so much roomier. The sailboat has the deck space that really makes a difference and the boat appears wider or at least uses that space better. Regardless, it's nice to be back "home." Even the dogs are resting comfortably. Jake is sleeping on my bed, which he hardly ever does. He must be ok. Goodnight.

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Vessel Name:

Oz

Vessel Make/Model:

Cascade

Hailing Port:

Tucson, Arizona

About:

Keith is a 40 something year old Family Law Attorney from Tucson, Arizona who somehow managed to develop a love of sailboat cruising and adventure in spite of growing up in the desert. This blog used to be about how I become a n occasional coastal cruising sailor. [...] Now it describes my ongoing personal and family adventures, focusing mostly on the sailing parts.